Crazy For You

Look at the cover of this record. Look at the title of this record. Look at the name of the band. And hey, listen to this record, even. No, there's nothing new or unique about Best Coast and their debut record, Crazy For You. The record streamed in advance on Urban Outfitter's website; Bethany Cosentino, the gal who writes, sings and plays guitar in Best Coast, looks like an actor playing a rocker chick in a movie that would surely star Juno; and Bobb Bruno, Cosentino's partner in crime, looks like a million other California stoner dudes who play guitar and wear ironic T-shirts and glasses. The lyrics discuss important things like hanging out, boys, boredom, weed and summer fun throughout the record's 12 pop-rock cuts. It's gross. Seriously, this is a gross record. Even the irony-drenched cover brings the gags. 

Just kidding. I absolutely love Best Coast's debut record, Crazy For You, even if it seems like the most obvious summer indie record ever made. I like it because, unlike most of the hip records out this year, it's not a weird record. It sounds almost exactly like that band Girls (also from California), but with a girl singer and a whole lot more consistency. When describing the record to a friend, I said the following: "No, no, shut up dude! Crazy For You reminds me of that first Strokes record - the one with the hand and the butt and the glove. No, dummy, it doesn't sound like the Strokes. Are you seriousl! LOL! I mean, they could tour together, but it doesn't sound like the Strokes. LOL! Mostly, it's just that it's a super obvious, been there/done that record that is too good to deny. Seriously, dude, you just gotta hear it a couple of times. It's like that band The Tyde, from a few years ago, but actually good. Or kind of like a sister to that new Wavves record."

Said friend zoned out on me somewhere during the babble; I've not heard from him since. I figure he's either A) totally obsessed with Crazy For You; B) taking a break from our friendship; or C) scoping out AA programs and planning my intervention. Any way you look at it, I did my job. The dude has good taste, and will thus find his way to Best Coast one way or another because, make no mistake, Best Coast made a phenomenal first record. This is the sound of my summer, and surely many others - no shame in sight.

I know what you're thinking - Dum Dum Girls. All Girl Summer Fun Band. Vivian Girls. Times New Viking. All that stuff. Nope, not this one. I've heard all those bands and all those records, and none compare to the fuzzy summer stoner anthems of Crazy For You. The ingredients are simple: imaginary girlfriend vocals; pseudo-surf vibes; Bill Murray and Thurston Moore as super fans; awesomely lazy riffs that echo and bounce; simple drum and bass that never gets in the way; four or more hooks per song; a whole lot a moments that will remind you of your favorite late-90s indie bands; and, of course, Cosentino, who is about as alluring as they come (fyi, I've never seen the girl, only heard her sing). There's also that whole laid-back California vibe, but nothing here really matters more than how many hooks and melodies Cosentino crams into this record. This is pop music. Very cool, very addicting pop music, not at all unlike that first Strokes record. Cut the fat; add some fuzz; nail the hooks; press record; repeat.

You'll hear these songs in movies for years to come, no doubt. Indie rock high school boys will have a new crush and their girlfriends will have a new hero. This is the record that will be made into a T-shirt and pop up as a point of discussion in a movie starring Jonah Hill, Jesse Eisenberg or Scott Pilgrim. It's a better version of that pretty great Harlem record, Hippie, that got a lot of attention a few months ago. Seriously, as crazy as it sounds, this is a minor classic in the making, and deserving so.

To recap: Juno; surfer/stoner; girlfriend vocals; hooks; Girls; California; fuzz; Bill Murray; and melodies. And that's about it. The lyrics aren't deep or complex ("I want you soooo much"; "I'm happy / I'm happy / I'm happy / You make me happy"; "The world is lazy but you and me, we're just crazy / But when I'm with you, I have fun / When I’m with you, I have fun" etc.), but they always work. And the playing is at all times about as simple as your least favorite local band. But somehow, this record just works. It's fun and easy and undeniable. Records like this don't come out often, not since The Ramones lost their touch. Yep, I'll admit it: I'm in love with Best Coast, even if this is the only record they ever make that's worth listening to, which is very likely.   9/10

Written by G. William Locke